CARADON District Council has been hit with criticism this week after one of its contractors dumped grass cuttings on a popular tourist beach.

A group of volunteers who went to clean up Hannafore Beach in Looe found their task had been made harder by council contractors who had fly-tipped grass on top of seaweed which had been washed up by recent storms.

'I think they were hoping the tide would take it away but where they dumped the grass was actually above tide level,' said one of the volunteers, Paul Richardson.

The beach is very popular among visitors but at the moment a large amount of seaweed has been washed up. A group of 22 volunteers went there last week to clean away as much as they could but were left annoyed by the fly-tipping incident.

'That beach is one of Looe's biggest assets and tourism is a big industry down here, so for them to be dumping the grass on it is a disgrace in my opinion,' added Mr Richardson.

A spokesman for Caradon District Council said it was working hard to clear the seaweed which was the main cause for concern. However, the council also added that it had spoken to the contractor and the grass had now been cleared and disposed of properly.

'I'm disappointed that this has happened as we discourage local residents who back onto our beach ownerships from dumping garden waste down over the cliffs and this does not set the right example,' said the spokesman.